Bottle-washing machine.



No. 780,488. PATENTEDJAN. 17, 1905.

F. N. YOUNG.

BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE. lAP1:"LI0A1ION FILED MAR. 9, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l ,Zw/enor.'

H'IIIIIVWIIIIIU PATENTED JAN; 17, 1905.

F. N. YOUNG. BOTTLE WASHNG MAG-EINE.

APPLICATION FILED MARt 9, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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IEE CECC l PATENTBD JAN. 17,l 1905. P. N. YOUNG. BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 9, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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UNITED STATES iateted January 17, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

FREEMAN N. YOUNG, OF ARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOTTLE-WASHING MACHINE.V

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. l780,488, dated January17, 1905.

Application filed Marchi), 1903. Serial No. 146,830. Y

.To all whom it may concer-n:

Be it know'n that I, FREEMAN N. YOUNG, of

Arlington, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented anImprovement in Bottle-Washing Machines, of which the followingdescription,.in connection with the ac-4 companying drawings, is aspecification, like vcharacters on the drawings representing like.'parts.

i This invention relates to machines for washmg bottles, and isespecially adapted for washing previously-used or second-hand bottles,

although also adapted for washing new bottles and other articles.

Secondhand bottles usually havek labels .pasted on them, and it isnecessary to remove these labels by the washing process, and the machineembodying this invention has the capability of washing off' the labelsaswell as thoroughly cleaning the bottles exteriorly and 'interiorly Inaccordance with this invention the bottles to be washed are placed inracks especially provided for the purpose, and an open-ended skeletonframe is provided adapted to be revolved on a horizontal axis in asuitable tank,

the relative proportions of the frame and tank being such thatapproximately the lower half of the frame will be at all times submergedin the washing liquor contained in the tank, and said'frame isconstructed and arranged` to receive and hold a plurality ofbottle-holding racks at a distance suitably remote from its axis, sothat during each revolution theracks and bottles carried by them will bebodily carried into and out of the washing liquor which is contained inthe tank. The bottles are placedin the racks upside down, and the racksare drawn into the revoluble frame with the i capes while the bottlesare held in an inverted position. Therefore the washing liquor in thebottles, which, it will be understood, does not completely ll them, isshaken during each revolution ofthe frame, so that the bottles arewashed interiorly as well as exteriorly.- The bottles are also looselysupported, so that as the frame revolves they will move more or lessindependently to thereby accelerate the shaking act-ion. The revolubleframe has van open-ended passage through it from end to end, and thebottle-racks are drawn into and slid along said passage and finallydrawn out of said passage at the opposite end of the frame.

The frame has tracks located at opposite sides of said passage on whichsaid bottle-racks are adapted to slide and on which they rest while theframe revolves and also suitable means, preferably adjustable, forholding the bottles in the racks to thereby provide for holding them inplace while theframe revolves. The revoluble frame is also provided'withmeans for collecting the labels which become detached from the bottlesandiioat in the washing liquor.

To assist the operator in feeding'the racks to the machine, a suitableslide is provided adapted to hold several bottle-racks, and thebottles'are placed in the racks either while the racks rest on saidslide or previously, and the slide is supported on suitable tracks,intoalinement with which the tracks carried by the frame may be brought.When the racks are filled with bottles, they are moved up to the vopenend of the revoluble frame and then slid along on the tracks into thepassagein said frame.

The revoluble frame is constructed to hold two sets or rows ofbottle-racks, which will be disposed at diametrically opposite points,although I do not desire to limit my invention to the number of racks orrows of racks that the frame shall carry.

My machine may be built in multiple, if desired-that is to say, I mayemploy two or, if desired, a greater number of openfended revolubleframes arranged in alinement, each revolving in a separate tank, and theframes will be constructed in such manner that the bottle-racks can beslid along from'one to the next frame and finally withdrawn.

Figure 1 shows in plan view a bottle-wash- IOO ing machine embodyingthis invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation and a partial verticalsection of the bottle-washing machine shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an endview of the revoluble frame and tank and driving-pulley. Fig. L is adetail showing in elevation one of the bottle-racks and in section theslide by which it is fed to the machine. Fig. 5 is a detail of the slideor sliding frame by which the bottle-racks are carried up to the openend of the revoluble frame. Fig. 6 is a detail of a portion of therevoluble frame.

a represents the tank, of any suitable size and shape adapted to containthe Washing liquor, and b is another tank which is adapted to contain asuitable rinsing liquor. lThe horizontal shaft (d, to which the frame tobe described is secured, has its end bearings in the end walls of thetank and has secured to it a driving-pulley a2. The shaft a may beextended so as to pass lengthwise of the other tank, as shown at b', sothat a second shaft and a second driving-pulley need not be employed.The driving-pulley a2 is made quite large and has large openings throughit which are sufficient for the passage of the bottleracks to bedescribed. rhe shaft a' has secured to it a frame which supports anydesired number of bottle-racks, and, as herein shown, said frameconsists of a skeleton or openwork structure composed,'essentiall y, ofstrapiron, the parts of which are riveted or bolted together. At eachend of the shaft u, inside of the tank, a collar t3 is secured, and eachcollar has projecting from it in opposite ways a pair of arms a4, havingat their extremities feet co5, which are disposed at right angles to thearms. A long piece or strip of strap-iron e or equivalent material issecured to each foot a5, and said pieces or strips a are disposed inparallelism, and the extremities of said pieces or strips at each end ofthe frame are connected together by similar pieces or strips a7. Arectangular frame is thus produced at each end of the shaft a', Whichforms one of the end frames of the bottle-rack-carrying frame. Thestrips t7 are formed with downwardly-turned ends, and the extremities ofthe strips a are slotted, as at 2, to receive bolts 3, which connect thestrips e7 adjustably with the strips a for purposes to be described.

The ends of the strips a7 at the opposite ends of the shaft a areconnected together by longitudinal strips or bars a, four such strips orbars being employed to thereby present a cubical skeleton structure.

The strips as have holes through them through which the ends of thestrips ce project to provide for adjustment of the strips a7.

The strips e7 of the two end frames are further connected together byhorizontal strips or bars a9, there being four such strips or barsconnecting each pair of strips @7, although so far as stiffening thestructure is concerned any other number may be employed; but the mainobject of employing these strips or bars a" is to assist in supportingthe bottles, as will be hereinafter described. rlhe strips (I7 of eachpair and the bars which connect them together form a fiat open-workframe which is adjustable toward and from the axis of the revolubleframe and which serves as a bottleretaining frame, as will be described.Angleiron bars (am are secured to the strips or bars a near their outerends, but inside of the adjustable open-work frame, which extendhorizontally lengthwise the revoluble frame and serve as supports ortracks for the bottleracks, being arranged in parallelism and in pairs.An open-ended passage is thus provided, which extends from end to end ofthe frame. Each pair of tracks al" is adapted to receive upon it one ormore bottle-racks, which will be drawn into the open-ended passage atone end of the revoluble frame and withdrawn therefrom at the other endof the frame.

rlhe bottle-racks herein shown each consist of a fiat plate c, havingholes through it for the bottles, and having fingers c', preferablyyielding, attached to the under side of said plate adjacent said holes,which support the necks of the bottles. The bottles are placed in theracks in inverted position, the necks thereof resting on the fingers c',and they are held in upright position by the perforated plate c. Theseracks will have as many holes as desired, four rows of holes beingherein shown, each row containingfour holes, so that each rack willcarry sixteen bottles.

The racks are made of the proper width to freely enter the open end ofthe longitudinal passage through the main frame and have rests atopposite sides which rest on the tracks am, as shown in Fig 3, and whenthus drawn into the revoluble rack the bottles carried by the frame willoccupy positions beneath the bars e" of the bottle-retaining frame andwill be held by said bars from leaving the racks as the frame isrevolved. During each revolution of the frame the bottles are submergedin the washing liquor and withdrawn therefrom and caused to make acomplete revolution in a circular path about the axis of the frame, andwhile submerged in the washing liquor they fill more or less, andafterward empty more or less, so that they will be partly filled withthe washing liquor while carried by the revoluble frame, and the washingliquor which thus partly fills them is shaken in the bottles as theframe revolves, so that the bottles are washed interiorly as well asexteriorly.

T he bottles are held loosely in the racks by the bottle-retainingframes and being thus loosely supported in the racks are free to move alittle independently, and consequently as the frame revolves they areshaken bodily, and the result is same as if they were partly filled withwashing liquor and bodily shaken.

The first time the bottles are submerged in the washing liquor rotationof the frame may be temporarily checked while the bottles till4 tank bisconstructed the same asthe frame in the tank @,having one or moreopen-ended passages through it from end to end and having tracks onwhich the bottle-racks are adapted to slide, and the longitudinalpassage through the revoluble frame is located in alinement with thepassage through the revoluble frame in the tank a, so that thebottle-racks may be slid from one frame to the other; but between therevoluble frames a pair of short tracks t are stationarily supported,into alinement with which the tracks al", carried by the frames, will bebroughtwhenever it is desired to slide the bottle-racks from one frameto the other.

The liquor contained in the tank may and preferably will be differentfrom the liquor contained in thetank a and used to rinse the bottles.`

To assist in feeding the bottle-racks through one of the openings in thedriving-wheel a3 to the open-ended revoluble frame which is contained inthe tank a, an upright structure is provided at one end of said frameoutside of the driving-wheel a3, which, as herein shown, consists ofseveral upright posts Z, rising from a base cZ, the upper ends of whichare provided with runways LZ3, adapted to receive the angle-iron frame0Z3 on which the bottle-racks are placed, said angle-iron frame beingmovable longitudinally in the runways provided for it, so that it can beprojected through one of the openings in the drivingwheel and movedclose up to the open end of the revoluble frame, and yforthevintroduction of the bottle racks the revoluble frame will be stoppedwith its tracks am in alinement with the runways (Z3. x

The side bars of the slidingv frame Z3 are located the same distanceapart as the tracks Z13 which are borne by the revoluble frame, so thatthe bottle-racks may be slid yfrom said frame @Z3 into the open end ofthe revoluble frame. At the opposite ends of the revoluble frame a pairof stationary tracks are provided onto which the bottleracks will bedrawn when they are withdrawn from the revoluble frame.

The cross bars or strips Z3 are. made wide enough to project Aa shortdistance from the revoluble frame and besides stiffening the cubicalstructure also serve to collect the washed-off labels which float in thewashing liquor, as represented by Fig. 6. Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. In a bottle-washing machine, the combination of a'tank, a revolubleopen-ended skeleton frame therein, a horizontal shaft bearing saidframe, a bottle-rack support carried by said frame consisting of a pairof horizontallydisposed tracks andl an adjustable bottle-retainingframe, and a removable bottle-rack adapted to beslid along on saidtracks, substantially as described.

2. In a bottle-washing machine, the combination of a tank, a pair ofstationary tracks at one end thereof, a revoluble frame in said tankhaving an open-ended passage through it from end to end, a pair ofhorizontal tracks located one at each side of said passage adapted to bebrought into alinement with said stationary tracks, a horizontal shaftbearing said frame and a removable bottle-rack adapted to be supportedupon and to be slid along on said tracks, substantially as described.

8. In a bottle-washing machine, the combination of a.tank,|a. revolubleframe therein having an open-ended passage through it from end to end, apair of horizontal tracks located one at each side of said passage, abottle-retaining frame opposite said tracks and a removable bottle-rackadapted to be supported upon and to be slid along on 'said tracks,substantially as described.

4. In a bottle-washing machine, the combination of a tank, a revolubleframe therein having an open-ended passage through it from end to end, ashaft bearing it, a bottle-rack support carried by said frame remotefrom its axis, a driving-wheel secured to said shaft having a largeopening through it opposite said passage, a slidin'gframe carrying thebottlerack adapted to be projected through the opening in saiddriving-wheel, a support for said sliding frame and a. removablebottle-rack, substantially as described.

5. In a bottle-washing mach-ine, the combination of a tank, a revolubleframel -therein having an open-ended passage through it from end to end.a shaft bearing it, a bottle-rack support carried by said framecomprising a Vpair of tracks and a bottle-retaining frame, a

'driving-wheel secured to said shaft having a large opening through it,a sliding frame having a pair of tracks adapted to be projected throughthe opening in said driving-wheel into alinement with the tracks b orneby said IIO frame, a support for said sliding frame, and

a removable bottle-rack, substantially as described.

6. In a bottle-washing machine, the combination of two tanks, tworevoluble frames therein revoluble on horizontal axes, each having anopen-ended passage through it from end to end, a bottle-rack supportcarried by each frame, an intermediate bottle-rack track between saidframes, and a removable bottlerack adapted to be carried by saidrevoluble frames, which is movable from one to the other, substantiallyas described.

7. In a bottle-washing machine, the combiwhich is movable from one tothe other, subl0 stantially as described.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREEMAN N. YOUNG. Witnesses:

B. J NoYEs, H. B. DAvis.

